Author's Note: Reworked and tweaked from the original.

Mommy

It's Winnie's day off. She left home at 19 to live independently of her parents, so once a month she and her mom would go out on dates to do "girly things." If there was one thing in the world she's most grateful for, it's having the world's best mother. Cool mom, that's what her friends call her. Mrs Winifreda Camden was the "go-to" adult among her peers, their secret was always safe with her, not to mention the added bonus of enjoying her home-made pancakes at the end of every "confession".

Window shopping was a favourite past time of the Camden women. Trying on clothes they couldn't afford and taking silly photos in them the other. Both Camden were petite, genetically blessed in the weight department. Although Winnie, due to how much she ate and how much time she spent sitting at work, didn't take the blessing for granted. She's into exercise, running and yoga her work-out of choice.

Mother and daughter ate lunch at their favorite Toronto bistro, Lady Marmalade. Mrs Camden watched Winnie picked on her salad, alert number one was triggered. It was never her style to pry. She always waited for Winnie to open up. Her parenting philosophy was simple - interrogation never works. Children will say what they think you want to hear to get you off their backs. So, on to Parenting 101 – go for a safe topic - talk about the weather.

"Nice and sunny out there," she said coolly.

Winnie turned to the windows, "We should take our meals and eat out."

"I think we should eat our food here and take our dessert outside. There's a park nearby." Mrs Camden countered.

"Yeah, you're right. Office workers are probably sunning themselves now, so yeah, let's wait another 40… we can have the park to ourselves." Winnie was still picking on her salad, this time she absentmindedly separated them. Carrot on one side. Cucumber on the other.

"Are you trying to make some sort of abstract art with your salad?" Mrs Camden asked with a grin. Winnie smiled back, "Sorry I'm not good company today. I've been thinking…."

"Uhum."

"Mommy, I hate you when you do that."

"What did I do?"

"You know, when you uhum…"

Mrs Camden shrugged her shoulders and feigned ignorance. "Let's go to the park, it'll take us 30 minutes to walk there anyway." Winifreda called for the bill and insisted on paying for it.

The women ate their gelato as they walked in peace. Both occupied with their own thoughts. Winnie made occasional comments about the changes happening in Toronto City, updating Mrs Camden who was mostly domiciled in suburbia. She didn't venture out to Toronto unless it's for a date with her precious daughter.

They reached a deserted part of the park. The grass was turning slightly brown. Its early Fall, some trees were beginning to shed their leaves.

Winnie sat on the grass, under the shade of a maple tree. She looked very pretty in her simple yellow sun dress. She had her sunglasses on to protect her eyes from the glare of the afternoon sun and to hide the confusion behind her eyes.

Mrs Camden sat next to Winnie. Parenting 102 – remove the camouflage. "You don't need this under the shade," she said and removed Winnie's sunglasses from her face. A pair of reddish eyes stared back at her.

"Do I have to ask?"

Winnie laid her head on her mom's lap and cried silently. Mrs Camden stroked her hair liked she always did when Winnie was a child. Like when she was all broken up when her pet puppy died. Or, when she lost her favorite soft toy bunny called Bunny.

After five minutes of this, she heard Winnie's voice, "Mommy, do you remember Spike?"

"How can I forget? He's all we talk about," she half laughed.

"We went out for coffee yesterday, after a very hard call at the end of my shift. Actually, it went from coffee to dinner. I've always liked him, mommy."

"Tell me something I don't know."

"He's such a nice guy, Mom," she said with a twinkle in her eyes. "But now I'm confused because when he didn't pay any attention to me, I always hoped he would. Now that he had, I'm scared. Mom, I made it a rule, my own rule, not to date cops."

Her wise mother simply asked, "Why? Why did you make that rule for yourself?"

"Oh, I suppose I see so many colleagues with broken marriages; the hours and the stress, so much to worry about. When they're out there confronting bad people… And it would just complicate things."

Winnie sat up to face her mom, desperate for her wisdom, "I don't know if I can take it if it doesn't work out. I feel safe when there's a distance between us because all I can think about are the risks involved. I'm scared shitless."

Mrs Camden laughed softly, she repeated the words in her head: risks, scared shitless.

"Win, have I told you my love story? Mine and your dad's?" Winnie shook her head sideways.

Mrs Camden drew a deep breath, "When I met your Dad, he was engaged to be married. It was love at first sight for both of us. We fought it, you know. We fought our feelings but your Dad…. he made a decision a month out of the wedding to back out.

"Hurt a lot of people but your Dad decided that he couldn't live a lie.

"He left for the UK for a year. That was the hardest year of my life. Then and now. He didn't want me to be blamed for the broken engagement. And I supposed... so… he could be sure of how or what he felt for me.

"He didn't contact me for a year. There was just nothing, you know. But I made a decision to believe. I just decided it wasn't over until it was. In hindsight, it was a foolish thing to do. Only that it turned out alright for us."

Mrs Camden held her daughter's face, "In love and in life, everything… everything you do… you'll have to take risk. There's risk involved to say 'yes' and a risk to say 'no.' It'll take extreme courage to open yourself up to possibilities. Wait and see what happens before you make a decision. Every choice you make will cost you something."

Mrs Camden looked deep into her daughter's eyes, "Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Winnie nodded, "It's my choice… and whatever decision I make will cost me. Or I can wait… and see what happens next." They talked some more, of mundane and ordinary things.

"Mom, I'm hungry for pancakes now." Her mom got up first and held out a hand. At that, they got up to head home where pancakes rule.